Picture books for the young and not so young

 

Who has this tail? By Laura Hulbert, illustrated by Erik Brooks

Repetitive language asks “who has this tail?” followed by the animal and what the tail is used for. For example, “A shark uses its tail to push itself through the water.” Throughout the book, no gender pronouns are used, so all the animals could be male or female. The illustrations portray the animals within their natural habitat; from desert to ocean, beauty abounds. Perfect for 2 to 5 year olds who are interested in animals or the kindergarten set who are memorizing books.

 

Frog Song by Brenda Z. Guiberson, illustrated by Gennady Spirin

A short story of 11 frogs around the world, the songs they sing and how they protect their eggs. My favorite was the Darwin’s frong in Chile; the male holds tadpoles in his vocal sacs for seven weeks. “Then he gives a big yawn, and little froglets pop out.” The frogs are drawn realistically and their surroundings are illustrated with flora and fauna from the country being described. This beautiful concept book is finished off with a bibliography as well as several websites where we can find more information about frogs. Excellent for upper elementary children who love to learn about animals.

 

Snowboy 1, 2, 3 by Joe Wahman, illustrated by Wendy Wahman

A counting book for winter, with a slightly off-kilter rhyme. While the pictures and words tell a story, it is hard to follow would take a lot of direction to make sure children are following the story line. Reading it just for the joy of counting and rhyming would be the best option.

 

Trixie Ten by Sarah Massini

Another counting book, with ten brothers and sisters, all drawn with thumbprints. Trixie Ten is tired of her brood of brothers and sisters, all with their disturbing and distinguishing noises: burps, hiccups, sneezes and giggles among them. So she runs away only to discover the world itself is noisy and she is lonely without her siblings.

When they come to find her, she is ready to go home. The story line is more conventional, easy to follow and perfect for family or play groups who might be getting annoyed with one another over silly things.